Latest News on the UK Hydrogen Economy - 15/09/21

Ames Goldsmith Ceimig, as a manufacturer of catalysts such as Iridium Oxide, Iridium Ruthenium Oxide, Iridium Black, Platinum Black & Platinum on Carbon support, are strong supports of the emerging Hydrogen Economy and supply many manufacturers of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology including PEM Electrolysers and PEM Fuel Cells.

In the UK we are members of the UKHFCA & SHFCA. Here are some of the recent developments in Hydrogen happening in the UK and affecting the Hydrogen Economy more broadly:

First of 20 hydrogen double decker buses delivered to Birmingham - Weblink

Image: Birmingham City Council

The first of 20 hydrogen fuel cell double decker buses has been delivered to Birmingham, which are set to be in operation later this year.

It is part of Birmingham City Council’s Clean Air Hydrogen Bus Pilot, which aims to tackle the city’s poor air quality and support its net zero carbon target.

Each bus is expected to help the council save up to 79.3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The buses, manufactured by Wrightbus, will be operated in Birmingham by National Express, with ITM providing the hydrogen fuel from the new refuelling hub at Tyseley Energy Park.

ITM Motive to build a network of hydrogen stations for trucks and buses in the UK - Weblink

ITM Motive will build a small network of large hydrogen stations for trucks and buses in north England in a bid to kickstart demand for the market, the ITM Power subsidiary has revealed to H2 View magazine.

Duncan Yellen, Managing Director of ITM Motive, said the network is likely to be from Birmingham up to Leeds and no further west than Liverpool.

Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre - Weblink

The Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK has installed a 2,000 litre storage tank on its roof in a bid to store and generate hydrogen for research purposes.

The technology hub already had an ITM Power electrolyser installed three years ago but prior to the tank being installed on the roof of John Dalton Tower, usage of the electrolyser was limited, and hydrogen was being piped from cages on the ground floor. This meant the research undertaken was also limited.

Electrolysers require the purest form of hydrogen to run effectively. As bottled gas is not as clean or pure enough, the storage vessel was required to bring the electrolyser into effective use and allow further research to be undertaken.

OYSTER consortium chooses Grimsby for electrolyzer project - Weblink

Grimsby has been chosen as the location for an innovative “marinized” electrolyzer project for renewable hydrogen production.

The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) funded OYSTER project will develop and demonstrate an electrolyzer system designed to be integrated with offshore wind turbines. The project will also investigate the potential of using pipelines to transport hydrogen to shore.

To realize the potential of offshore hydrogen production, there is a need for compact electrolysis systems that can withstand harsh offshore environments and have minimal maintenance requirements while still meeting cost and performance targets that will allow production of low-cost hydrogen. The OYSTER project will provide a major advance towards this aim.

The OYSTER electrolyzer system will be designed to be compact, to allow it to be integrated with a single offshore wind turbine, and to follow the turbine’s production profile. Furthermore, the electrolyser system will integrate desalination and water treatment processes, making it possible to use seawater as a feedstock for the electrolysis process.

ITM Power is responsible for the development of the electrolyzer system and the electrolyzer trials, while Ørsted will lead the offshore deployment analysis, the feasibility study of future physical offshore electrolyser deployments, and support ITM Power in the design of the electrolyzer system for marinization and testing. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Element Energy are providing technical and project management expertise.

Green H2 power for Edinburgh International Festival events - Weblink

SHFCA member and clean power start-up PlusZero has successfully powered a series of high-profile performances at the recent Edinburgh International Festival with a pioneering new zero-carbon generator fueled by green hydrogen produced in the Western Isles. This demonstrates the potential of hydrogen based clean portable power for decarbonising outdoor events, and a first step on the journey to removing the 1.2 million tonnes of carbon that is emitted every year by the diesel generators used to power the UK’s outdoor events sector.

In a first for Scotland’s outdoor events sector, PlusZero’s generator powered performances by artists including the Scottish award-winning avant-pop artist and composer Anna Meredith at the Edinburgh International Festival’s Edinburgh Park outdoor venue, using green hydrogen produced in the Western Isles.

UK firm to replace internal combustion engines to hydrogen with new tech - Weblink

A new hydrogen fuel cell convertor for internal combustion engine vehicles has been launched by a UK-based company looking to replace petrol and diesel vehicles.

Caigan Vehicle Technologies today (August 26) said its engineers can replace ‘traditional’ combustion engines with a complete hydrogen fuel cell power system to allow fleet managers to upgrade vehicles to cut emissions and meet various net zero targets.

To convert a vehicle to hydrogen, Caigan Vehicle Technologies will remove existing engine and fuel systems, and retrofit a hydrogen storage tank, a fuel cell to convert the hydrogen gas to electricity, a traction battery and an electric drive motor.